Trade Deadline 2010: Canucks add depth and size, ship off Veteran Schneider.

It was a generally quiet deadline day for the Canucks, who have never been known to make a huge splash during the Canadian half holiday. No blockbuster deals were made almost cross the NHL today; it seems Brian Burke took all the excitement out of the day earlier when he acquired names like Phaneuf and Giguere, both names that overshadow any of the names or moves made today.

As the Canucks were concerned, the team is in decent shape considering our forward depth, but the lingering question of Willie Mitchell’s concussion still may leave some fans wondering where the big defensive acquisition was today. However, Mike Gillis may have done the best he could, adding depth within the organization and adding by subtraction by shipping off an unhappy veteran.  So without further delay, here is Mike Gillis’ body of work for the 2010 trade deadline.

• Canucks acquire Yan Stastny – Blues acquire Pierre-Cedric Labrie

Looking at Yan Stastny’s career stats, he has never been able to get a roll offensively at the NHL level. 91 NHL games, 16 points, total -20. Not exactly the bright future I was hoping to uncover when I looked for his stat sheet. However, his father and brother have both been able to be successful in the NHL, so maybe all Yan needed was a change in scenery. Pierre-Cedric Labrie also has struggled in the AHL, so it may be a nice change of scenery for him as well; too bad his family isn’t full of NHL’ers.

• Canucks acquire Sean Zimmerman – Coyotes acquire Mathieu Schneider

And so ends the epic story fail of Mathieu Schneider as a Vancouver Canuck. Gillis was finally able to ship off the disappointed and disappointing defenseman. Zimmerman is another man destined for development on the farm before ever becoming a Vancouver Canuck full time. His starts at the WHL level are fair, posting 16 and 21 points in back to back years for the Spokane Chiefs, however his AHL stats have been less than impressive, especially in the +/- category where he is a -26 in the last three season combined.

• Canucks acquire Andrew Alberts – Hurricanes acquire 2010 VAN 3^rd round.

Finally, a player who will play on the Canucks this season! Haunted by the uncertainty of Willie Mitchell’s post concussion symptoms, Mike Gillis was forced to go out and grab at least one NHL ready defenseman who can help down the stretch and into a playoff run. Andrew Alberts is a freight train at 6’5” and 218 pounds, and the word out of Carolina is that he hits like a freight train too, but questions about his puck handling have limited him. Alberts will be needed down the stretch in order to wear down opposing forwards, especially in a long playoff series. I wouldn’t want a 6’5” bruiser checking me all game, let alone seven of them.  In his last five games for Carolina, Alberts has never dropped below 15 minutes of ice time, so he has no problem filling a regular shift at the NHL level. The 3^rd round pick is expendable given the injury troubles to Bieksa and Mitchell especially. I like the move from Gillis, extra toughness is never a bad thing.

So there you have it kids. It was a general quiet day for Mike Gillis and the Canucks, but I for one am used to it by now. The Canucks have done a good job keeping prospects and adding small pieces in order to be successful, and I believe the slow but steady approach to winning is the right thing to do given the team, its expectations and its future. Tickets will sell out at GM Place no matter how well the team is doing, why not be patient in building a cup contender. Other than Ilya Kovalchuk, not many forwards on the market would have made a splash or be considered a major upgrade for the Canucks, there is no need to make a splash simply to appease fans or generate coverage. Our depth at forward will be our strength coming down the stretch, a much better position to be in than some other past Northwest Division Teams, right Darryl?

How about you Canucks fans, what do you think of the moves Gillis made so far, or what moves do you wish he had made? It’s your turn to play GM for the day and let it all out in the comments section.

Reminder – While the Canucks deadline day may have been fairly queit, they still do have a game to play tonight at 4:30 PST against the Detroit Red Wings. Thoughts and reaction from both last night’s win over the Blue Jacket’s and tonights game against the Red Wings should be up tomorrow.